Authorities received reports of protesters at three construction sites, Preskey said. Its construction would disturb sacred sites and burial grounds, the tribe said, and a spill at the Lake Oahe crossing could contaminate the water that the tribe relies on for drinking, irrigation, and cultural and religious practices.
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Last Friday a federal judge denied the North Dakota tribe’s request to stop the pipeline construction, but the Department of Justice declared a voluntary pause on the construction the very same day.
“It is long past time to call into question all these risky pipeline projects that have become increasingly common, generally with far less public notice than the Dakota Access pipeline, or the similar successful campaign against the Keystone XL pipeline, has garnered”, Ross added.
The announcement came the same day as a planned “day of action” in cities around the United States and in other countries, including the Toronto demonstration.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile, 30-inch pipeline that will transport up to 470,000 barrels of Bakken crude oil from North Dakota to IL daily. Almost 40 have been arrested as the protest has grown in size, including Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman David Archambault II.
“This issue is not simply an indigenous peoples’ issue, not simply a treaty issue”, he said.
On Thursday, a federal judge said work could resume on the pipeline, saying the permits did not violate federal law and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe failed to show how it would cause injury.
Dozens of different tribes have gathered at a protest camp near the pipeline construction site in North Dakota, which has led to occasional clashes with police and security guards.
“We stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux peoples whose native lands and sacred sites are threatened with destruction if the pipeline is built”, Northcutt said.
But Energy Transfer is still moving forward with plans: Just today, CEO Kelcy Warren sent a memo to staff and media indicating its commitment to finishing construction, which, he claims, is 60 percent complete.
But much has yet to be settled when it comes to the pipeline that’ll run from North Dakota to IL, including whether the company will respond to the federal agencies’ request for a voluntary, broader work stoppage in that area.
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The company estimates that more than $1.6 billion has been spent so far on the project. Their main goal is to encourage energy transfer partners to reconsider.
